Tour Length

Tour Code

Highlights

Countries Visited

Start City

Beijing

End City

Shanghai

As the capital of China, Beijing is one of the world’s truly imposing cities, with a 3,000-year history and 11 million people. Covering 16,808 square kilometers in area, it is the political, cultural and economic center of the People’s Republic of China. Situated in northeast China, Beijing adjoins the Inner Mongolian Highland to the northwest and the Great Northern Plain to the south. Five rivers run through the city, connecting it to the eastern Bohai Sea. Administratively, the Beijing municipality equals the status of a province, reporting directly to the central government. Rich in history, Beijing has been China’s primary capital for more than seven centuries. China’s imperial past and political present meet at Tiananmen square, where the Forbidden City palace of the emperors gives way to the Great Hall of the People congress building and the mausoleum of Chairman Mao Zedong . The old city walls have been replaced by ring roads, and many of the old residential districts of alleys and courtyard houses have been turned into high-rise hotels, office buildings, and department stores. Beijing, a dynamic city where the old and new intermingle, remains a magnet for visitors from inside and outside China.

Shanghai is China’s most comprehensive industrial and commercial city, ranking the first in population and population density. As a tourist city, it attracts travelers from both home and abroad by its commercial activity rather than scenic beauty. Shanghai is situated on the bank of the Yangtze River Delta, with East China Sea in the east and Hangzhou delta in the south. Housing a population of over 16 million at present, it was once a small town supported by fishing and weaving before the first Opium War. Late in 1990, the central government started developing the area, and has since become the well-known booming metropolis city.

Activities

Description : As a museum of ancient Chinese art, Shanghai Museum houses a collection of 120,000 precious works of art. Its rich and high-quality collection of ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy is specially celebrated in the world. Its unique architectural form of a round top with a square base, symbolizing the ancient Chinese philosophy that the square earth is under the round sky, is a distinguished architectural combination of traditional feature and modern spirit. The present Shanghai Museum has eleven galleries and three special temporary exhibition halls. It extends warm welcome to the visitors from all over the world.Country Page to display on: None

Description : Temple of Heaven was built in 1,420 in the Ming Dynasty, which is the most holy of all Beijing's imperial temples. This is where the Emperor came every winter solstice to worship heaven and to solemnly pray for a good harvest. True to the Chinese saying, “Round Heaven, Square Earth.” The park is in a square shape and the temple in a round shape which symbolizes that the emperor had to leave the Earth (represented by the square) for Heaven (represented by the round-roofed building).

Description : Forbidden City was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties which is the largest palace complex in the world. It surrounded by 10-meter high walls and a 52-meter wide moat. It covers 74 hectares and has 9,999 rooms. In the forbidden city, you can get more knowledge about the eastern architecture, splendid painted and beautiful craftwork.

Description : The Great Wall is perhaps China's most famous and most mythologized site. Several sections are conveniently visited from Beijing, including at Badaling, the most popular site, about 70 km (43 mi.) northwest of Beijing and at Mutianyu, 90 km (56 mi.) northeast of Beijing. These impressive brick and earth structures date from the Ming dynasty, when the wall was fortified against Mongol forces to the north. The Ming wall is about 26 feet tall and 23 feet wide at the base, and could accommodate up to six horsemen riding abreast. Watch towers, built on high points every 200-300 meters or so with small garrison forces, used fire signals or fireworks as a means of communication. These stretches of the wall are part of a system that extends from the Shanhaiguan fortress on the Bohai Gulf in the east to the Jiayuguan fortress in the west, altogether some 6000 km (3700 mi).

Description : The Jade Buddha Monastery is famous for the Jade Buddhas in it. During the rule of Emperor Guang Xu of the Qing dynasty, Hui Gen, an abbot from Putuo Mountain, went on a pilgrimage to Tibet traveling through China and finally arriving in Burma. He found Burma to be rich in jade and superb in craftsmanship. He wanted to bring carved jade Buddha back to China. He obtained donation of over 20,000 taels of silver and got special permission from the Burmese king to dig and select jade in the mountains. He hired excellent jade carvers to carve five jade Buddhas in various sizes, all decorated with treasured stones and big pearls. On his way back from Burma, he left two Buddha carvings in Shanghai for the Buddhist disciples there to worship. Country Page to display on: None

Description : The Summer Palace landscape, dominated mainly by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, covers an area of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is under water. Its 70,000 square meters of building space features a variety of palaces, gardens and other ancient-style architectural structures. The Summer Palace is a monument to classical Chinese architecture, in terms of both garden design and construction. Borrowing scenes from surrounding landscapes, it radiates not only the grandeur of an imperial garden but also the beauty of nature in a seamless combination that best illustrates the guiding principle of traditional Chinese garden design: "The works of men should match the works of Heaven".

Description : Yu Yuan is a 400 year old classical Chinese garden in the Old Town of Shanghai, not far from the Bund. Pan Yunduan spent twenty years and all his savings building it to please his parents in their old age. In the garden you can feel the harmonies between the construction, plants and human.

Description : Zhouzhuang, situated between Shanghai and Suzhou, is an ancient town of Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province, abounds with rivers and lakes. Thus it is thought by many to be the best waterside town in China. This ancient town has a history of more than 900 years old with many houses built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. There are about 100 houses with courtyards, and 60 of them have arch gateways made by carved bricks. With lakes on four sides, the beauty of Zhouzhuang is found, especially, along the waterside lanes and around a number of the stone bridges. A different vista at every turn can be found here. All these make the visit most enjoyable. Also, one can enjoy the fairyland atmosphere of the evenings here when the myriad stars twinkle as though in communication with the glittering lights.

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Hotels

Description : Offering comfortable accommodation and various facilities, the Chang An Grand Hotel is an ideal travel destination for both business and leisure travelers visiting Beijing. The hotel has 373 rooms. Amenities: Airline reservation desk
Beauty shop
Car Rental
Babysitting
Bar & Lounge
Concierge desk
Foreign exchange
Restaurants
Housekeeping service daily Laundry on-siteRestaurant: Guests can enjoy delicious western cuisine in the relaxed atmosphere of the onsite restaurant and later chill out with a refreshing drink at the cocktail bar.Guest Rooms: Guests are provided with the comfort of tastefully decorated rooms that are spacious and facilitated with numerous in-room amenities. The hotel also offers 24-hour room service for your convenience.Location: 27 Hua Wei Li, Chaoyang District, Beijing, ChinaLocation Description: The Chang An Grand Hotel is located in the southeast corner of Beijing City, adjacent to Beijing Curio City, China's largest curio and folk artwork market. It is also close to the Central Business District and downtown.

Description : The hotel offers well-appointed meeting rooms for organizing your business as well as social events. After an exhausting day, you can workout in the state-of-the-art gymnasium, have a bracing dip in the swimming pool, pamper yourself at the sauna or avail the massage service. The hotel has 527 rooms.Amenities: Baby sitting service
Banquet facilities
Business center
Cocktail bar
Disabled facilities
Laundry facilities
Gymnasium
Lobby
Reception
Restaurant
Room service
Sauna
Swimming poolLocation: 505 Wulumuqi Road North ShanghaiGuest Rooms: The property boasts 527 pleasantly decorated guestrooms, which provides its guests with modern and comfortable amenities. Attentive room service is also provided for your convenience.Restaurant: Guests can dine at the on-site Bauhinia Restaurant that serves delicious cuisine for breakfast, lunch as well as dinner. The Kawakyu Restaurant serves delectable Japanese cuisine for you to feast on. Sip your favorite cocktail while listening to the melodious music at the cozy bar.